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I had heard once that the Isley Brothers were the group that had hit the US Top 100 pop music charts in the most different decades.

Wikipedia confirms that they did chart each decade from the 50's to the 2000's, starting in 1959 with "Shout!" and most recently in 2003 with "What Would You Do" (with numerous hits in the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's). This seems tough to beat, but is this really the record? Or, more to the point, is it still the record? Are they also the group with the longest span from the first appearance on the charts to the last?

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  • Not sure if this is well documented for Asian countries, but the late superstar Teresa Teng would possibly break this record if her songs continue to make hits until the next decade. Her songs are still popular in Indonesia and Taiwan.
    – mey
    Mar 1, 2015 at 11:11
  • And this is true even 20 years after her passing in 1995.
    – mey
    Mar 1, 2015 at 11:15
  • Elvis would take some beating - if you include re-issues. Cliff, on the other hand, might be out on top as his hits are all original issues… & he's still alive so there's always the possibility of more.
    – Tetsujin
    Mar 18, 2015 at 18:26
  • @Tetsujin According to Wikipedia, although Elvis originals hit the charts in the 50's, 60's, 70's, and remixes in the 80's and 2000's, he did not chart at all in the 90's.
    – Chris Sunami
    Mar 18, 2015 at 19:06
  • @ChrisSunami - ahh… he did in the UK - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/… but as he died in 78, he's probably well out of the running anyway, compared to some others. All re-issues since then.
    – Tetsujin
    Mar 18, 2015 at 19:16

1 Answer 1

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In the UK Cliff Richard has had top 10 albums & singles in every decade since the 50's

Cliff Richard Discography

Most recently in 2013.

He has achieved 14 UK No. 1 singles (or 18, depending on the counting methodology) and is the only singer to have had a No. 1 single in the UK in 5 consecutive decades: the 1950s through to the 1990s.

Cliff Richard

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  • It's interesting, he's comparatively little known in the US, although from that article it looks like he did have some chart success over here up through the 80's. Since I didn't specify which country's charts, however, I think this does count as a good answer.
    – Chris Sunami
    Feb 25, 2015 at 14:02
  • Perhaps popularity tends to be region based.
    – mey
    Mar 1, 2015 at 11:12
  • Also, he hit #1 in each decade --the Isleys only hit the Top 100 each decade. I'll have to check out his discography.
    – Chris Sunami
    Mar 18, 2015 at 19:08

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